OrganoidsSmall Cells Doing Big Things

Franklin Wilson

GTCC North Carolina STEM Alliance

What is an organoid?

Three-dimensional cluster

of cells grown in-vitro

The making of an organoid

5 Basic Steps:

The making of an organoid

5 Basic Steps:

1. Obtain Sample

The making of an organoid

5 Basic Steps:

1. Obtain Sample

2. Mechanically and chemically dissociate tissue into single cells

The making of an organoid

5 Basic Steps:

1. Obtain Sample

2. Mechanically and chemically dissociate tissue into single cells

3. Use cell-sorter to obtain target cells (stem cells)

The making of an organoid

5 Basic Steps:

1. Obtain Sample

2. Mechanically and chemically dissociate tissue into single cells

3. Use cell-sorter to obtain target cells (stem cells)

4. Add target cells to Matrigel

The making of an organoid

5 Basic Steps:

1. Obtain Sample

2. Mechanically and chemically dissociate tissue into single cells

3. Use cell-sorter to obtain target cells (stem cells)

4. Add target cells to Matrigel

5. Allow cells to grow (1-90 days)

0d 4d 6d

12d 14d 22d

8d

25d

11d

Types of organoids

Cerebral Cortex

Hepatic

Renal

Cardiac

Prostatic

Gastric

Lung Epithelial

Intestinal

Optic Cup

Thyroid

Pancreatic

Neural Tube

Pituitary

Mammary

Potential Uses for Organoids

Testing Uses

Perform tests of medical,

biological, and chemical

agents

Pharmaceutical Uses

Benefits to drug manufacturing:

• Lower the cost

• Decrease time needed

• Dramatically reduce the

amount of animals testing

Pharmaceutical Uses

Drawbacks:

• Not a whole organ

• Not a body

Uses in Regenerative Medicine

Uses in Regenerative Medicine

Process hepatic cancer treatment:

1. Excise tumor

2. Dissociate and harvest target

cells

3. Use CRISPR to modify DNA

4. Grow cells in Matrigel mold

5. Implant

Uses in Regenerative Medicine

Benefits to lab grown organs:

• Avoid risk of rejection

• Decrease transplant list

Uses in Regenerative Medicine

Drawbacks:

• Time needed to grow

• Lack of differentiation

• Size constraints